Reflection on Atmospheres by Peter Zumthor:

By Adeeba Gichki

We sense what kind of a space surrounds us. We sense its atmosphere. Going through
Atmospheres by Peter Zumthor, it becomes apparent that buildings are not just an aesthetic or
physical phenomenon, but a philosophical one. Often making his own buildings converse with
their surroundings, Zumthor emphasizes on the importance of expanding architecture’s beauty
to induce an atmosphere that is felt and desired by the users of the space.
Zumthor essentially catalogues his experiences with Atmospheres into nine sensibilities, varying
from sound, light, and materials to seduction, temperature and composure. However, the
primary notable feature of his creation of atmosphere is his passion to design forms that grow
naturally into their landscape. He attempts to achieve this by carefully considering the
relationship between the buildings and its surroundings, his use of materials, and the interplay
between exteriors and interiors. This includes analyzing the thresholds of a structure, how one
approaches it, how one enters it and the change between the public and private realm. This
relationship can be highlighted through the contrast between the smooth and rough surfaces
present in the Villa Saitan, a housing complex in Kyoto Japan, with a concrete shell mimicking
textures of a tree on its interior. This is, In Zumthor’s own words, “the careful and conscious
staging of tension between inside out, public and intimate, and to thresholds, transitions and
borders.
Perhaps another important aspect of Atmospheres is Zumthor’s consideration of temperature.
In temperature of a space, he pulls the example of his Swiss Pavilion to draw the heat
extraction character of each material which gives individual effect to space. Using wood as the
central source of insulation, the pavilion remains warm when it’s cold outside, and cool as a
forest when it’s hot outside, even as it was open to the air. This is to say that every building has
its own way of adapting to its surroundings because temperature differs significantly from other
aspects of design and has an immediate effect on the human body. While a warm atmosphere
provokes a sense of nostalgia and warmth, a cold room may induce a feeling that is quite the
opposite. In all circumstances however, the material composition of a structure is essential to
the temperature of that space.
Through stating these relationships, Zumthor enables architecture to be accessible and
understood by all. He makes buildings about emotions that surround us and the moment we
recognize them, the built structure shows a personality that is so tethered to us that we feel
different flowing along the space, appreciating its different traits.